Sacramento -- - Gov. Jerry Brown, riding a wave of remarkable political success from the first two years of his term in office, delivered a State of the State speech Thursday that cast California as being on the cusp of an era akin to the grand times of state history.

It was the kind of optimistic and enthusiastic address to the people of California that was not possible when Brown came into office two years ago facing a nearly $26 billion deficit.

But the governor, who persuaded the Democratic Legislature to make spending cuts and voters to raise taxes, delivered a budget without a deficit and is free to pursue dreams.

Some are bold: constructing a double pipeline to divert water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and building a high-speed-rail system, despite ballooning costs that have been sharply criticized.

Brown shared those visions, along with changes in education to give school districts more control and in health care to expand access, against the backdrop of state history. He reminded Californians that Spanish explorers and Forty-Niners pushed ahead despite enormous obstacles, and said the residents now have "a rendezvous with our own destiny."

"All around us we see doubt and skepticism about our future and that of America's. But what we have accomplished together, all the people in this room ... indeed, the whole history of California, belies such pessimism," Brown said.

During the nearly 25-minute address to a joint gathering of both houses of the Legislature, Brown referenced the book of Genesis and quoted Franklin Roosevelt, Oliver Wendell Holmes, the 16th century French writer Michel de Montaigne, William Butler Yeats and even the classic children's book "The Little Engine That Could."

The spirited and forward-looking address was made possible in large part by the passage of Proposition 30, Brown's tax-raising measure. If it had failed, there would have been deep and automatic cuts to spending in K-12 public schools and higher education.

Brown thanked lawmakers, unions, business leaders and individuals for working to pass the ballot measure, the first statewide tax approved by voters since 2004.

Too optimistic?

Some viewed the optimism as overstated, though, and said Brown got carried away with a bit of good news after several dark years.

During the speech, Brown also announced that he will lead a trade mission to China in April that will include opening a trade office in Shanghai, and he called for a special session of the Legislature to consider major changes in state law to implement the federal Affordable Care Act.

Brown's speech was interrupted by applause eight times, and lawmakers in the Assembly Chamber twice rose to their feet during the address.

When speaking about higher education, both Republicans and Democrats rose and applauded as Brown said that in funding those institutions, "tuition increases are not the answer. I'm not going to let the students become the default financiers of our colleges and universities."

GOP reaction

The speech was generally well received by members of both parties, and state Senate Republican leader Bob Huff of Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County) said, "He struck Republican themes" in the speech.

Those included some specific things mentioned in his remarks, including being fiscally conservative with debt and spending, noting the need for fewer new laws and calling for changes to the state's environmental protection regulations.

"The question is will the reality of seven years from now match the rhetoric of today," said Huff, referring to the point in time when the tax increases approved via Prop. 30 expire.

Some Republicans were critical, however, of Brown's continuing push against climate change and for high-speed rail.

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, gave high praise, saying, "This is my 13th State of the State address and it's the best one I've ever heard."

Despite the praise for his vision, Brown undoubtedly will face pressure from fellow Democrats in the Legislature to restore spending to programs - especially in health and human services - that were slashed during the budget crisis of the past four years.

The governor has pledged to restrain spending and focus more on paying back debt.

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, said the speech was personally reassuring.

Many still hurting

"I think we Californians felt like we weren't sure if we were still the Golden State," she said. Still, she said, all residents need to benefit from the state's changing fortunes.

"There are still a lot of Californians who are hurting, either from foreclosures, job loss or what have you," she said. "Those Californians are dependent on our safety net, which was really severely cut. While he didn't raise it, we in the Legislature will be paying attention to that."

Brown's third State of the State speech built on the themes he pushed in previous years. His first year back in the governor's office, Brown focused largely on the state's budget deficit and his plan to solve it.

Last year, with his preferred solution of a ballot measure delayed, Brown again spoke to that - saying the state was "on the mend" - but also highlighted policy goals in public employee pensions, along with education, water and high-speed rail.

The Legislature passed changes to pensions last year, and the governor highlighted the remaining policy areas in Thursday's address.

The governor's to-do list

As outlined in his State of the State address:

K-12 education: Give school districts more freedom so that teachers can light "fires in young minds."

Colleges and universities: Stop tuition from rising, so that students are no longer the "default financiers" of these institutions.

Health care: Reduce the number of uninsured.

Jobs: Change laws and programs to stimulate job growth.

Water: Build two pipelines underneath the delta to secure water deliveries.

High-speed rail: Start construction.

What the governor said

On California's legacy:

"What is this but the most diverse, creative and longest-standing mass migration in the history of the world. That is California. And we are her sons and daughters. This special destiny never ends. It slows. It falters. It goes off track in ignorance and prejudice but soon resumes again - more vibrant and more stunning in its boldness."

On fiscal responsibility:

"We have promises to keep. And the most important is the one we made to the voters if Proposition 30 passed: that we would guard jealously the money temporarily made available. This means living within our means and not spending what we don't have."

"The message this year is clear: California has once again confounded our critics. We have wrought in just two years a solid and enduring budget. And, by God, we will persevere and keep it that way for years to come. Against those who take pleasure, singing of our demise, California did the impossible."

What others said

State Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber (Tehama County):

"We have a governor who is speaking Republican language, embracing long-held Republican principles. He is admonishing his colleagues here that notwithstanding their supermajority status and the unnecessary taxes ... he is saying, 'Don't spend all the money.' "

"We are encouraged by the governor's acknowledgement that we need to pay down debt, develop a rainy-day fund and avoid saddling our college students with more tuition increases. But while the governor acknowledged the loss of jobs in California ... he did not offer any substantive proposals for job creation or helping California's working families."

State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord:

"After years of hearing how grim our state's future looked, it is refreshing to hear Gov. Brown's positive and bold State of the State address today. ... Now is the time to reinvest in education and infrastructure, important building blocks of the California dream, while ensuring that our most critical programs are funded in the most stable way possible."